Glove with Palm Pocket

ABSTRACT

A glove with a palm pocket includes a body member having a palm-side portion and a dorsal side portion connected to the palm side portion that, together, define an interior area. The body member includes a thumb portion and four finger portions adjacent one another and extending outwardly, the thumb portion and the four finger portions having tubular configurations in communication with the interior area and defining terminal ends that are open, respectively. The glove includes a palm pocket member coupled to an exterior surface of the palm-side portion, the palm pocket member including a front panel having a first side edge and a second side edge opposite the first side edge. The palm pocket member includes a proximal end edge adjacent the thumb portion that is open such that the palm pocket member defines an interior pocket configured to receive an article.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part and claims the benefit of non-provisional application Ser. No. 16/654,714 filed Oct. 16, 2019 titled Glove with Palm Pocket, which is incorporated completely herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to utility gloves and, more particularly, to a glove having a palm pocket for securing the handle of an article. Of course, a glove according to the present invention may be worn on each hand of a person.

A worker often comes home after a hard day at work with sore hands because he worked in a construction or industrial environment without wearing gloves or because the gloves he wore were not reinforced or suitable to ease the burden on the worker's hands. Further, a carpenter may find that swinging a hammer all day causes palm discomfort or even blisters. Similarly, a person who fishes frequently may find holding the handle of a fishing rod eventually chafes the palm of his hand. Still further, a user finds it tedious and tiring simply to securely hold a tool or fishing rod in the palm of his hand for long periods of time. In addition, a worker often finds it difficult to carry small items that are needed to do a job, such as nuts, bolts, screws, finishing nails, and the like.

Various gloves have been proposed in the art that provide reinforced layers of material intended to prevent physical harm to the fingertips, knuckles, pads of the palms of a hand, or other parts of a hand, Although presumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices still lack the relief and convenience of a glove having a palm pocket capable of securing the handle of a tool or fishing rod and to provide a means for securing small items like screws and the like.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a glove with a palm pocket configured to hold the handle of a tool or fishing rod and that prevents damage to the wearer's skin. Further, it would be desirable to have a glove with a palm pocket that also includes a knuckle portion having a plurality of LEDs for illuminating a work area or merely for making a wearer of the glove more visible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A glove with a palm pocket according to the present invention includes a body member having a palm-side portion and a dorsal side portion connected to the palm side portion that, together, define an interior area. The body member includes a thumb portion and four finger portions adjacent one another and extending outwardly, the thumb portion and the four finger portions having tubular configurations in communication with the interior area and defining terminal ends that are open, respectively. The glove includes a palm pocket member coupled to an exterior surface of the palm-side portion, the palm pocket member including a front panel having a first side edge and a second side edge opposite the first side edge. The palm pocket member includes a proximal end edge adjacent the thumb portion that is open such that the palm pocket member defines an interior pocket configured to receive an article. In another aspect, the body member includes a knuckle portion coupled to the dorsal side portion of the body member, the knuckle portion having a plurality of lights spaced apart from one another and positioned corresponding to the four finger portions.

Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a glove with a palm pocket capable of holding a handle of a tool, fishing rod, or the like and, as a result, relieving physical stress on the wearer's hand.

Another object of this invention is to provide a glove with a palm pocket, as aforesaid, that includes a plurality of LED lights for illuminating a work area or making a worker more visible to others.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a glove with a palm pocket that includes a reinforced construction that is durable.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a glove with a palm pocket having a wrist strap that secures the body of the glove securely about the wrist of a wearer.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a glove with a palm pocket according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrated with the connection strap in a closed configuration;

FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of a glove as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another front view of the glove as in FIG. 1, illustrated using an alternative wrist band attachment fastener;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the glove as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of the glove as in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the glove as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the glove as in FIG. 1, illustrated in use with a fishing rod secured in the palm pocket member;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the glove as in FIG. 1, illustrated with the connection strap in a closed configuration;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the palm pocket member removed from the glove of FIG. 1 for clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A glove with a palm pocket according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9 of the present invention. The glove 10 includes a body member 11 and a palm pocket member 40.

The glove 10 includes a body member 11 that includes several portions that may be integrally constructed together, i.e. seamlessly. For instance, the body member 11 may include a palm-side portion 12 (also referred as a palmar portion) and a dorsal side portion 14 (i.e. the back or knuckle side) that may be integrally constructed or coupled together to define an interior area (such as to receive a user's hand therein). Further, the glove 10 may include a thumb portion 16 and four finger portions 18 arranged to be complementary to and configured to receive a human hand. It is understood that the thumb portion 16 and finger portions 18 may have generally tubular configurations having terminal ends that are open and inner ends in communication with the interior area of the body member 11. In an embodiment, the palm-side portion 12 and dorsal side portion 14 may include a reinforced layer of construction so as to have an enhanced durability. In addition, the finger portions 18 and thumb portion 16 may include reinforced sections. In addition, the finger portions 18 and thumb portion 16 may have truncated configurations (i.e. shortened configurations) so that a user's fingers or thumb are partially exposed when the glove 10 is worn.

In addition, the body member 11 may define a lower opening through which a user may insert his hand into the glove 10. Preferably, the glove 10 includes a wrist strap 20 having structures that may tighten the body member 10 around a person's wrist. The wrist strap 20 may include what will be referred to as a neck section 22 and a connection strap 24 attached to the neck section 22 that has a flexible construction so as to between released and connected configurations. More particularly, an inner surface of the connection strap 24 and an outer surface of the neck section 22 may include complementary hook and loop fasteners 26, 27, respectively, that selectively engage one another at the connected configuration (FIG. 8) but may be separated at the released configuration (FIG. 1). Alternatively, snap fasteners 28 may be incorporated for closing the wrist strap 20. The wrist strap 20 is secured when the neck section 22 and connection strap 24 are tightened and hooked at the connected configuration. As shown in the drawings, the complementary hook and loop fasteners 26, 27 may cover the entire respective surfaces or may simply include strips of corresponding hook and loop material.

In a critical aspect, the palm pocket member 40 is coupled to an exterior surface of the palm-side portion 12 of the body member 11 of the glove 10. As will be explained below, the palm pocket member 40 enables an article to be inserted and secured in the palm of a user's hand. Articles most likely to be secured in the palm pocket member 40 may include, but are not limited to, the handle of a hammer used in construction, the handle of a fishing rod 8, small items such as nuts, bolts, or screws, or the like. Specifically, the palm pocket member 40 may include a front panel having a first side edge 41 and a second side edge 42 opposite and parallel to the first side edge 41. The first and second side edges may be coupled to the palm-side portion 12 of the body member 11.

Further, the front panel of the palm pocket member 40 includes a proximal end edge 43 extending between proximal ends of the first and second side edges and is adjacent the thumb portion 16 of the body member 11. By contrast to the first and second side edges, the proximal end edge 43 is not coupled to the palm-side portion 12 but rather is open. As a result, the front panel forms an interior space that may be referred to as a pocket. The articles referred to previously may be inserted into the pocket via the proximal end edge 43 that is open and in communication with the interior space or pocket. The front panel of the palm pocket member 40 may be constructed, in whole or in part (such as alternating strips), of an elastic material 47 (FIG. 9) that is capable of stretching to receive the article such as a handle of a tool or a fishing rod 8 into the pocket (FIG. 7). Still further, the front panel of the palm pocket member 40 includes a distal end edge 44 extending between distal ends of the first and second side edges and is opposite and parallel to the proximal end edge 43. The distal end edge 44 may be closed so as to stop the article from being over-inserted straight through the pocket. In an embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the distal end edge 44 described above is not coupled to the palm-side portion 12 but rather is open. As a result, the front panel forms an interior space that may be referred to as a sleeve. One of the articles mentioned above—a fishing rod 8—is most likely the article to be held in the sleeve (FIG. 7). As shown and as would be understood by one or ordinary skill in the art, a handle of the fishing rod 8 may slidably extend through the proximal and distal end edges of the sleeve and away from each end edge thereof.

In one embodiment, the side edges may be permanently attached such as with stitching. Preferably, however, the front panel of the palm pocket member 40 may be removably or releasably coupled to the palm-side portion 12 so that it may be selectively removed when not in use. For instance, a user may desire to do work while wearing the glove 10 without the palm pocket member 40 installed or vice versa. More particularly, the first side edge 41 and the second side edge 42 may be coupled to the palm-side portion 12 using complementary snaps 45, i.e. snaps and snap receiver combinations. Alternatively, the side edges may be releasably coupled using complementary hook and loop fasteners 46.

In another aspect, the glove 10 may include a knuckle portion 18 coupled to the dorsal side portion 14 of the body member. The knuckle portion 18 is preferably situated over an area corresponding to where a wearer's main knuckles would be situated inside the glove 10. The knuckle portion 18 may include a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) spaced apart from one another along an imaginary linear axis corresponding to a person's knuckles. The LEDs 32 may be electrically connected to a battery 34, such as with a wire or wirelessly. It is understood that the knuckle portion 18 may also include an on/off switch 26 electrically connected to the LEDs or battery 34 for selectively actuating the LEDs 32.

It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof. 

1. A glove, comprising: a body member having a palm-side portion and a dorsal side portion connected to the palm side portion that, together, define an interior area, said body member having a thumb portion and four finger portions adjacent one another and extending away from said body member, said thumb portion and said four finger portions having tubular configurations in communication with said interior area and defining terminal ends that are open, respectively; a palm pocket member removably coupled to an exterior surface of said palm-side portion, said palm pocket member including a front panel having a first side edge and a second side edge opposite said first side edge, said first and second side edges being removably coupled to said exterior surface of said palm-side portion, said palm pocket member having a proximal end edge adjacent said thumb portion that is open and a distal end edge opposite said proximal end edge and that is open such that said palm pocket member defines an interior peek-et sleeve configured to receive an article completely therethrough and extending away from said proximal and distal end edges.
 2. The glove as in claim 1, wherein said palm pocket member includes a distal end edge opposite said proximal end edge that is coupled to said palm-side portion and is closed and operable as a stop against movement of the article.
 3. The glove as in claim 1, wherein at least said first side edge is removably coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding snaps.
 4. The glove as in claim 1, wherein at least said first side edge is removably coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding hook and loop fasteners, respectively.
 5. The glove as in claim 4, wherein said second side edge is removably coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding hook and loop fasteners, respectively.
 6. The glove as in claim 1, wherein said first and second side edges of said palm pocket member are coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding hook and loop fasteners, respectively.
 7. The glove as in claim 1, wherein said front panel of said palm pocket member is constructed with an elastic material so as to be flexible in receiving and securing the article inserted into said interior space.
 8. The glove as in claim 1, wherein said dorsal side portion of said body member includes a knuckle portion having a plurality of lights spaced apart from one another and positioned corresponding to said four finger portions, respectively.
 9. The glove as in claim 8, wherein said knuckle portion includes a battery electrically connected to said plurality of lights.
 10. The glove as in claim 1, further comprising a wrist strap having a neck section operably coupled to said body member and configured to tighten said body member about the wrist of a wearer, said wrist strap having a connection strap movable between a released configuration extending away from said neck section and a connected configuration releasably attached to said neck section.
 11. A glove for wear upon a hand of a person, said glove comprising: a body member having a palm-side portion and a dorsal side portion integrally connected to the palm side portion that, together, define an interior area, said body member having a thumb portion and four finger portions adjacent one another and extending away from said body member, said thumb portion and said four finger portions each having a tubular configuration in communication with said interior area and defining terminal ends that are open, respectively; a wrist strap having a neck section operably coupled to said body member and configured to tighten said body member about the wrist of a wearer, said wrist strap having a connection strap movable between a released configuration extending away from said neck section and a connected configuration releasably attached to said neck section; wherein said dorsal side portion of said body member includes a knuckle portion having a plurality of lights spaced apart from one another and positioned corresponding to said four finger portions, respectively; and a palm pocket member removably coupled to an exterior surface of said palm-side portion with a pair of friction fit fasteners, said palm pocket member including a front panel having a first side edge and a second side edge opposite said first side edge, said first and second side edges being coupled to said exterior surface of said palm-side portion, said palm pocket member having a proximal end edge adjacent said thumb portion that is open and a distal end edge opposite said proximal end edge and that is open such that said palm pocket member defines an interior pocket sleeve configured to receive an article completely therethrough and extending away from said proximal and distal end edges.
 12. The glove as in claim 11, wherein at least said first side edge is removably coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding snaps.
 13. The glove as in claim 11, wherein at least said first side edge is removably coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding hook and loop fasteners, respectively.
 14. The glove as in claim 13, wherein at least said second side edge is removably coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding hook and loop fasteners, respectively.
 15. The glove as in claim 11, wherein said first and second side edges of said palm pocket member are coupled to said exterior side of said palm-side portion with corresponding hook and loop fasteners, respectively.
 16. The glove as in claim 11, wherein said front panel of said palm pocket member is constructed with an elastic material so as to be flexible in receiving and securing the article inserted into said interior space.
 17. The glove as in claim 11, wherein said knuckle portion includes a battery electrically connected to said plurality of lights. 